Talk:Comfort food
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[edit] Expansion of the Comfort Foods concepts
I would tend to agree with all the statements that the article needs updating. First of all let me say that all food is comforting to me (or all the foods that I eat are comforting to me). Those of us who had the privilege of growing up and living on the coast seafood is more comforting than meatloaf, which I have eaten once in 63 years. That was about 58 years ago. No seafood on the list? 24.74.161.189 00:21, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
I am in complete agreement that the article needs updating, and am attempting to incorporate the fact the indeed foods bring comfort to every corner of our planet. While I agree a firmer concept is needed, perhaps based on a study or studies, there is a real sense that based on certain criteria we can at least demonstrably list a few examples of comforts foods enjoyed by persons everwhere, and why they are considered comforting. I encourage all who feel a need to talk here also list a comfort food enjoyed, and why.
This is a terrible article.
Never in my life have I come across anyone turning to beans for comfort. Also, I can hardly imagine a Hindu consuming a meatloaf or a Chinese pigging out on macaroni and cheese. And according to the Wikipedia article on starvation, "more than 25,000 people die of starvation every day, more than 800 million people are chronically undernourished. On average, every five seconds a child dies from starvation." No doubt they are under stress and long for "temporary respite" and "security", but to what comfort foods do they turn to or which of them do they "request"?
And while "gender differences" only vaguely seem to exist, the final reference to Midwestern cuisine is outright baffling: Are those poor people there under so much more stress than the rest of the world?
Please don't tell me to go ahead and change the article if I don't like it—I have no idea what this is all about or how it could be improved. The only thing I know is that there is not a trace of a global perspective in it. <KF> 17:52, August 30, 2005 (UTC)
- If I'm not mistaken (and I'm not), Wikipedia is a collaborative effort. You non-constructive criticism of this article seems particularly childish when taken in combination with your last petulant statement. Please don't be a dick. Alfred Centauri 01:48, 4 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Additional examples from other cultures
I second the need for additional examples. Additionally, please try to be a bit more sensitive about how you generalize. I came to the discussion page because of the line "for example tacos for those from Latin America ". There are 19 countries in Latin America that are not Mexico. While I realize that all us brown people must look alike to some, please try and differentiate us. You might more tasty food than just Mexico's, not to mention whole cultures.
While this isn't a terrible article and does contain the most common Western examples of comfort food (baked beans are a common comfort food, especially in the United Kingdom, as many picky small children chiefly subsist on baked beans on toast), I agree that additional sections should be added to reflect examples of comfort food from different cultures. (Even in places where people are starving, comfort food exists.) The reference to Midwestern cuisine is there because many examples of North American comfort foods are considered the product of Midwestern cuisine -- tater tot casserole, anyone?
[edit] Physical effects of comfort foods
This article could also use a section on the direct physiological effects of comfort foods. A substantial majority of comfort foods are based heavily on simple carbohydrate, which has been postulated to induce an opiate-like effect in the brain. Emotional eating also may stem from this effect.
[edit] List is pointless
Having a list of foods makes no sense. Every person has their own list of comfort foods. For some it might be coke and hot dogs, for someone else it could be grits and orange juice. Delete the list and just explain the notion of a comfort food and if availlable, the effects and social role. Easytoremember 03:10, 6 June 2006 (UTC)
I believe a list might not be pointless, if it has a good source associated with it, like a statistical survey. But I agree that the list as it stands seems a bit pointless. --Phelan 03:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
I find the list ridiculous, especially the sections of comfort foods in random other countries. These lists should be moved to the appropriate page such as Indian cuisine. - GilliamJF 07:02, 7 November 2006 (UTC)
I agree. The list must go. Who has the will to actually delete/replace it? jankyalias 01:38, 28 Novemeber 2006
- I will. I came to the talk page to request the list be removed, but I see there's already a consensus for that. I believe "comfort food" is an important topic that can evolve into an extremely high quality article. This list is standing in the way; it makes the article too long to read, without adding any content. I wrote an article here on Night eating syndrome after reading a survey of the clinical material available, then revised it slightly after talking to a psychiatrist, who agrees that NES is an eating disorder but feels there's an emotional component in many people just across the borderline between disorder, and symptom. He pointed out that the diet of the night eater is always what would be considered comfort food. This is only one disorder, affecting a pretty small percent of the population, but somebody else linked to "emotional eating," and, well, I feel there's a lot of importance in this article. Just to be clear, eating "comfort foods" isn't a pathology in itself. Ben & Jerry's is better for you than stress. But in a very stressful world of "fast food nation" I think there's great importance here. FireWeed 21:18, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Removing food abuse section; expanding article
In the process of expanding the article I am taking out all references to eating disorders. Comfort food is a type of cuisine and/or a description of food styles. It has absolutely nothing to do with eating disorders, which are independent of the type of food consumed. Moreover, there is no citation to even make the claim that comfort food and food abuse are related. You wouldn't put a section on bulimia in an article about donuts or fast food or Greek cuisine; it doesn't belong here either. For reference I am pasting the removed text here.
[edit] Associated eating disorders
The vast majority of people who enjoy good tasting food do so in moderation, and are generally in good health, mentally and physically. However, the potential for "mis-use" exists, and individuals who are suffering depression or some anxiety disorders may regularly turn to food for comfort or to cope with stress, anxiety, fear, or any number of negative emotions. As the individual turns more and more to food to satisfy an emotional need, an eating disorder can result.
Bulimia is a disorder in which the individual suffers anxiety about his or her body image, turns to fattening foods and drinks for comfort, and then vomits them to avoid weight gain. Night eating syndrome is a disorder in which a person is unable to sleep, and turns to food as an answer to their insomnia, and other emotional needs. While both of these affect relatively small percentages of the population, in both the "comfort value" of the food plays a central role in the disorder.
[edit] Overly Expanded Concept
As I recall, the term "comfort food" was coined, not to enrich the world with another term for "home cooking", but to describe foods specific to individuals that are eaten, yes, for comfort, i.e., the term accentuates the psychological rather than nutritional value of such foods. The US television icon for this phenomenon is the slender, fashionable woman with a pint of Häagen Dasz sitting alone in front of the television. In this sense, I think the opening paragraph is overly broad. If the term has expanded, then I would appreciate some documentation other than this article. Are restaurants adding a "comfort food" list, for instance? In choosing a restaurant, do people now ask, "Do you want Thai, Italian, or comfort?"Janko (talk) 16:25, 10 May 2008 (UTC)Janko
PS:To the person who can't imagine beans as a comfort food, yet complains of a lack of global perspective: beans on toast is a traditional British home meal, and I'm sure there are many Britons for whom it functions as comfort food. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Janko (talk • contribs) 16:28, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
- Indeed, comfort food is a genre of restaurant food.[1][2][3] There are hundreds, probably thousands, of newspaper citation for this.Wikidemo (talk) 16:50, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
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- This usage by the food industry and press — novel, associative, and secondary — should be treated separately, since by the original definition, a "comfort food" would not likely contain truffle oil and an American would not be looking for comfort food in Paris, when anyone other than your NYT food editor would refer to "simple traditional French dishes".
"Comfort foods are foods whose consumption evoke a psychologically pleasurable state for a person," reported Brian Wansink, an Illinois marketing professor who heads the lab. Drawing from national survey questionnaires, the lab has concluded that a person’s comfort-food preferences are formed at an early age and are triggered, in addition to hunger, by conditioned associations and gender differences.[4]
- This usage by the food industry and press — novel, associative, and secondary — should be treated separately, since by the original definition, a "comfort food" would not likely contain truffle oil and an American would not be looking for comfort food in Paris, when anyone other than your NYT food editor would refer to "simple traditional French dishes".
